I grew up in the Midwest as a person of color. I specifically refuse to go back and am consider a $1.5MM home purchase only because of the bigotry and prejudice that I faced and my parents faced. My friends at school couldn’t come over because their parents weren’t comfortable with it.

It is a problem, and it’s not that most rural dwellers are bigots but enough people are, and they’re the loudest in the room.

Asking a person of color, lgbt, Muslim, etcz to live in rural white america is often a non starter.